Devil: because I know you love them... And after you threw us out of heaven, because I'm not good enough for you anymore, I can't get at you! Ugh, you make me so ... So .... There just isn't a word for it...

Jesus: but you didn't like heaven... You didn't like the way things were...

Devil: don't start this again.

Jesus: yeah... We've been around this once or twice

Devil: and we'll do it again with the humans. Just because you think they are special, and look like you, and talk with you... Doesn't mean they want to be with you. They are mine.

Jesus: but you said you don't even like them.

Devil: mmmm, yes, but you do - don't you

Jesus: I do.

Devil: just you wait... give me a while and I won't have to kill them, they'll start killing themselves, and soon, they'll be so scared that I'll be able to even pretend to be you, and then... Then they will worship me, and my ideas... They will, not you, me!

Jesus: for my children yes... And if they wanted, they could have my life - if they chose my way, heaven, you give them back.

Devil: I don't want you dead.

Jesus: after all this... You don't want me dead?

Devil: no...

Jesus: what do you want

Devil: i want your life. I want you to worship me, I want you to tell me I'm right, and that you are unfair Your worship - just once... Bend the knee.

Jesus: I can't do that...

Devil: Why... It'd be easier, I'd only make you do it once. Just once, tell me I'm right... And that I'm worthy

Jesus: It'd be impossible... You couldn't hold this whole thing together for a second.

Devil: You think you're the only one... I hate you... I... I....ugh... There are NO words! Pause... Then I want you dead, and I'll make you suffer.... I mean really suffer... I 'll make you cringe, and cry out for help, I will make you helpless...

The king of the universe, helpless... Dying... I'll leave you hanging... I'll do it publicly... For everyone to see, and I'll dance on your grave!!

Silence.... Jesus is dead as he leaves the stage (on a cross? carried out?)

Music builds... Dry ice comes out from where Jesus left... And Jesus comes back..

Devil: no, no, no... Not fair... I killed you! That is so not fair.... Cheater! You... You ... You... Cheated... You... Ugh... There are no words....

Jesus: you know... I don't know what it was, but it turns out, I just couldn't stay dead - anymore than you'd be able to create life. (Music trumps!)

Devil: runs out into crowd, grabs a person... "This one is mine... You cheated, I'll kill this one....

Jesus: ok, but I've beaten death now... You kill them, if they choose me, I'll just raise 'em back up! To the person: choose me, today, right here, and right now... I can't promise you a easy life, this guy here will see to that, which I'm sorry for, it's not you he's mad at, it's me... But if you trust me, and believe in what I have done, and am doing for you every day... No matter what happens, I will bring you to live with me, and I will live with you.... And we'll have the best candy... Hey, I'll make this tree, with 12 different kinds of candy!!!!

King 1.Neptune: Knows the stars, characterized as a leader who follows Played by Pierre Scales

King 2.Theos: Theologian - had access to the OT scriptures. Played by Stephen Eastwood

King 3.NAG: Young man, loves the new ideas, easily carried away. Played by Mason Clark

Scene 1

NAG: Ahh…. so peacful. The servants are finished, they make so much noise, always moving and making my home busy. But at the end of the day, as the sun goes down, I tell them to go home. All the other Nobels keep their servants till half night, I couldn’t stand the chaos.

Instead, I bring my flute, stack my rocks, burn some incense to the gods, I breath, I stretch… I don’t know how the others live the way they do.

Theos: My eyes… oh my eyes… once I could read the smallest scrolls. Oh my collection, I have the best collection of writings this side of the Swallos, Probably including a good way beyond too. You know, so many people go through life blind. Content to live off what they here in the markets, or from the travelers. But if you really want to know about the earth, you have to read. To read what the wise people of every culture have to say. And bring it all together.

Neptune: Theos… Theos… …. (looking up) Theos!!!!!

NAG: Dude!

Neptune: Oh Nag, there’s a new star… I mean a new star, not one that I have never seen that has always been there… but a star that has never been there…. is now there!

NAG: Dude… I’m breathing man…. you are ruining the peace.

Neptune: You are not getting it… a New Star - there has never been a new star… ever! it just appeared. Look!

NAG looks, closes his eyes, and breaths.

Neptune: (Turns attention away from NAG) Theos!

Theos: Nepturn!

Neptune: Theos! A Star just appeared tonight. It’s never been there, and you can’t say I’ve just missed it - look!

Theos: oh of all the holy gods…. you can’t miss that… what is it? What does it mean?

Theos: But what? Which of the gods are talking to us? (to himself) And what are they saying?

Neptune: (To himself) Is it coming or going? Will it move with the other stars during the night? Will it be here tomorrow night?

(everyone looks at each other… says good night and gets to work!)

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Music

Scene 2Neptune: People call me a magician. I’m not. All I do is read the stars. I tell people it’s going to get colder, and it does, and they call me a magician.

You see, the sky, the stars - it’s so predictable. The skies… they have messages. They can tell of things past, and things to come. People talk of the gods… and they make idols to these gods… but these idols can’t tell you anything. But the sky is alive. The sun comes up each day, exactly where it’s supposed to and moves across the sky, according to the time of the year… it will go down exactly as I predict - because it always does. And when the sun goes down, well, that’s when the real show begins. Stars, in patterns, clusters, arrive in the east, and move across to the west… and here’s the interesting part:

They don’t come up in the west the next day! They come back up in the east again! It’s like they reset… it’s like every day is a brand new start. A brand new beginning. Like we get to do it all over again.

But here tonight… there is a new star. There has never been a new star. They call me a magician, but I can’t put a new star in the sky. Whatever put that there… whoever put that there… it came from somewhere… from someone. It came from the One who controls the stars, who writes the stories, the One who made the beginning, this God is doing it again. This is some serious Devine stuff. This is Holy.

Theos: There have been stories of new stars before. Jonnosh… the magician from the trees… he tried to tell me of a new star. He took me out at night to see it, I said I saw it… but I don’t know if I did see it! There are a lot of stars out there.

But I saw this one tonight. There was no missing this one!

There is one story that our world began with a star, that story comes from this city, there was a story of a new star… a star that was bigger than all the rest, one that got bigger and bigger… until it spawned this earth. They say it took thousands of years. I don’t believe it though. But there is no mistaking that star there tonight.

I don’t much care for Nepturn and his magic. I prefer the school of philosophy. The historians, the Scribes. So much wonderful writings from so many cultures… none about a new star though… chuckles… wait….

There was . . . there was such a story. From the Israelites… people say they have a very powerful God, oh they have some good stories, legends! Some incredible writings about crossing seas on dried land, and whole walled cities falling at their cry. Difficult to prove all the writings though, But if they were true… well… then the one true God is indeed talking to us.

There was a prophet, believed to have come from the Israelites… what was his name….. opens scroll….

Balham! Yes. The talking donkey man! You hear everything in the writings. But he did talk about a new star…

A new star from the West…. wow, it would be something if that star came was in the west!

NAG: A new star! How cool is that. A new star… new energy. What if it was a different kind of star, with a different kind of energy! What if it made things like giving better than receiving… now that would make the world better - what if it turned everything that was last, into everything that was first…. wait… what if this new star could mean you could be born again! That evil could be beaten and we get to start over with everything in perfect harmony! (getting excited now!)

Oh that would be SO cool. What if instead of coming up in the east, this star showed up in the west first….

Hey… Nepturn! Nepturn!

Neptune: (reverently) yes?

NAG: Is the star in the north, south, east or west?

Neptune: Strange you should ask. It showed up in the west.

NAG and Theos: Interesting...

All three are gathered on stage again. And they swap things… Nag takes the star chart, Neptune takes the scroll, Theos takes the incense. All retreat back to their “home”.

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Music?

Scene 3

NAG: Wow! A new Star! With new… everything! Just boom! I wonder, is it moving? (looks at it)

Not moving exactly - but it does feel like it’s calling. Actually it should be moving… the rest of the stars move

Neptune: Something wonderful is going on when the writings of men, and the writings in the stars collide. It has to signal the coming of the most wonderful power, the One that makes everything true.

The star has to be some sort of signal to us… and if it is signaling, we should answer.

I have to go to the star… oh the others will think I’ve really lost it now. But this God has to be met. This God has to be welcomed. By someone who knows and recognizes it… oh what if the magicians go, and pretend they made it! Or the other Kings who’ll say they rule it! Oh the chaos… no, I have to go to this star… oh serpents, go to a star… no idea how to do that, but if this is what I think it is, the God will take care of the how… I should just get right under it. Oh I have to go.

But Theos, he knows stuff… He’ll think I’m crazy, but I want him to come too…

Thoes: (Holding up the incense) Dear Gods… well, God .. probably… Is this you? Are you talking? Are you shining in a far off land? Are you coming to turn the evil to good? Would we dare dream that this earth would flow with milk and honey? Gods, God, is that you in that Star? I feel I know it is. Is that you putting that thought, that feeling into me? I have not felt like this before…

Oh God, if this is you, make Nepturn want to go too… confirm this though him… I don’t want to look foolish… But if this is you God, I will go to that star. I will come and find you. I don’t know how you’ll do it, but this IS you… the Israelites had it all along… Oh God, don’t leave us out… may we all be part of your kingdom, your city. May your ways be my ways. Your people, my people. I simply must come to you.

NAG: (Looking at the chart, and coming out of his hut) It’s not moving! We must go to it! The Star… it’s not moving… we must go to it.

Theos: (Comes out of hut) Crazy Boy

Neptune: He is a crazy boy, but he’s right… it’s God. It’s THE God. We have to go to the star. We have to join in with the world in welcoming the Creator to this earth.

NAG: When the sun goes down tonight, if the star is still there… we will go toward it. Theos: (Solemnly, reverently, and with certainty) Oh, it’ll be there. But tonight? I have court to arrange… the festival of Eremas to attend to… I must bring Bulle up to speed with the servants…

The camels, the supplies

A trip like this takes 3 weeks to plan.

Neptune: Theos, we must go tonight… When the star is in the sky, we must follow it…

NAG: It’s calling us.

Theos: We are going to see God… oh how majestic it will be… The King

Neptune: The Creator. The Author of the stars

NAG: My comforter, my savior, my reason for being. Namaste.

Neptune: I’m going to take Gold. 3 years wages of Gold…

Theos: 3?

Neptune: You’re right, 4.

Theos: I’m going to take Frankincense. Symbolizing our communication, our very best to God.

NAG: I’m taking Myrrh.

Theos: What’s myrrh?

Neptune shrugs his shoulders

Music! Jesu Joy of Mans Desiring ~ Bach,manger scene comes in (perhaps stage hands, simply dressed, could undo the middle “hut” and turn it into a manger??? just a thought.

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Scene 4

Off stage outside in the back…Neptune: There is no one here… this can’t be itNAG: oh this is itTheos: This is where the King of the Stars is?NAG: Yep, get your gifts, let’s go in.All walk in, richly dressed, in the most humble way possible. Take coats off. Bow. NAG: Master, Theos: Holy one. Nepturn: Prince and King. Followed by the Congregation singing - Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Each year, my Mariposa Church has a Halloween Walk through over the school grounds. Halloween is huge in this town. Last year it culminated with a conversation with Jesus and the Devil. This year, after the crowd has walked through creation, Jesus explains day 7 to two angels wallowing on all the fabulousness of creation.

Jesus

Cherub I

Cherub II

Scene starts with Jesus alone on stage “looking out on the world he’s created.

Both Cherubs burst on the scene.

Cherub 1: Wow

Cherub 2: No no… WOW!

Cherub 1: Jesus, Adam loved the Pear!

Cherub 2: You should have seen him eat it!

Cherub 1: He said it was like eating two different fruits!

Cherub 2: He said… wait for it . . .

Cherub 1: He said he’d call it a pair! Yeah!

Cherub 2: I said wait for it!

Cherub 1: I know… I couldn’t!

Cherub 2: Oh Jesus - earth is so, So, SO wonderful.

Jesus: (smiles) It’s good

Cherub 2: It’s Good?? Oh Jesus… It’s Won - der - FULL!

Cherubs leave the stage . . .

Then return . . .

Cherub 1: He called it an elephant!

Cherub 2: Did you tell Him to call it that Jesus?

Jesus: Shakes his head no

Cherub 1: and when Adam called him an elephant, he put his nose into the water and made this water fountain come out of his NOSE!

Cherub 2: Oh Jesus, this world is the best one you’ve ever made!

Cherubs leave the stage . . .

Jesus: (To himself) I wish it could stay that way

Then the Cherubs return . . .

Cherub 2: I think Adam likes the birds best

Cherub 1: No, the fish! Jesus, there are some amazing fish! And Adam is naming them all…. and some of his names are hilarious

Cherub 2: I think the the birds that swim are best! How cool is that - He called them penguins

Jesus: I love the penguins!

Cherub 2: Why don’t they fly too?

Jesus: Ahh

Both Cherubs: (suddenly solemn) What do you mean “ahhh”?

Pause… Cherubs move in

Jesus: This world is not always going to be like this.

Cherub 1: What’s it going to be like? What are you adding tomorrow?

Cherub 2: (over Cherub 1) What can be better than humans?

Jesus: The Penguins are kind of heavy, they have a lot of blubber . . . they are going to need to stay warm in some very cold weather

Cherub 2: What’s cold?

Jesus: This world is almost ready for a very different kind of situation

Cherub 1: I don’t like the sound of this

Jesus: Things are going to get hard… too hard.

Cherub 1: But…. wait a minute… if it gets hard… or if it gets “cold” (whatever that is), why don’t you just go down and help…

Cherub 2: Yes, you always are right there when something hard happens for us.

Jesus: Yes, and I love that! And I would love to help the humans too. Pause, cherubs move in, and Jesus is sad, But the humans are going to choose to go alone….

Cherub 2: You mean….

Cherub 1: Lucifer?

Both Cherubs: Nooooo

Jesus: Nods his head.

Cherub 1: Moving away to look from Jesus to the world, So what are going to make tomorrow? What’s coming on the 7th day of this creation?

Cherub 2: Are you going to give them blubber?

Jesus: No, I’m going to give them a day.

Cherub 1: A day? They have 6 of them already… what’s going to be in the day?

Jesus: Me.

Music fades in

Jesus: Right now, I can go and walk with them every day. After Lucifer gets their attention, they are going to start dying… but I have a plan for that. In the mean time though, they are going to have to work just to survive, and it won’t only get cold, it will also get hot. Some will have allergies to deal with, there will be disease, conditions that makes life even harder for some. And I’m not going to be able to join them every day, my very presence would kill them right away. So for the 7th day, I’m going to give them a day, a day they can set aside all this work,

A day they can, as best we can in the conditions, a day they can come to me, So I’m going stop creating, and I’m going to bless this day. And make it holy.

Cherub 2: Tomorrow, it’s going to be great!

Cherub 1: What are you going to call it?

Cherub 2: Yeah - it’s going to need a name.

Jesus: Sabbath

Cherub 2: The last day of creation, Sabbath. I wonder what Adam is going to do with that!